Who, if anyone, is to blame?

[Megainstant]

We live down a country lane. Our house and drive open directly onto the lane.

Was walking the dogs yesterday, they ran out of the door onto the lane (I can see up and down very clearly so can see no cars). A woman was walking up the lane with four dogs (all dogs were off lead). My dogs ran to her and sniffed her dogs, her dog growled and my terrier started barking and growling very aggressively, her other dogs joined in and they had a right old scrap - no actual biting afaik. I pulled my terrier off and apologised, woman went absolutely mad and said she would complain about my dogs being off lead (but so were hers??) running out of my driveway and 'attacking' her dogs.

My arguement is that my driveway is neither here nor there, both sets of dogs were off lead on a lane so probably both owners to blame.

?

Her dogs were off the lead but she was with them, yours appeared from your home unsupervised, so it's not the same at all.

I agree both equally to blame, it's not just your fault.

Well I was walking behind them, sorry if that wasn't clear. Tbh if she didn't know it was my house, we would have looked like two women walking towards each other both with dogs off lead.

I'm saying both to blame.

ahhhhh sorry I probably didn't read it right.

I wouldn't give it another thought now, no real harm done

I'd say both to blame. Perhaps yours was too bouncy/ friendly for her dogs and her dogs shouldn't have reacted that way. If they were all on leads you both would have been able to prevent the whole thing.

She's complained to the parish council about my dogs.

I THINK she has form so hopefully they will ignore it. My dogs are usually very well behaved but for some reason my terrier HATES her massive dog, not sure what breed but it is huge.

Your terrier sounds a good judge of character.

Your terrier sounds like a thug and should never run at any other dog like this! How is that in any way her fault? You were both on even ground in terms of lack of leads but her dogswere just troting along lane causing no bother to anyone. Yours were the newcomers newly released for their walk and they could have equally gone under a car under the conditions you describe! Its not the same. Keep shouty terrier under proper control for his own sake and dont risk it.

You know your terrier has isshoos over her massive ddog and thats not ok. You need to do somrthing about that so nothing worse happens. She's sensible to bring this to attention of others

Her dog growled, yours responded.
The dogs sorted it out, using their dog communication skills.
It frustrates me that people get tense and aggressive, when dogs organise themselves and express their opinions of each other.
My dog likes to greet other dogs. If he gets a bad tempered response he immediately leaves. No problem. I don't get cross with the other owner for having a bad tempered dog, I'm not going to keep my dog on leash for ever because some dogs are bad tempered. Nine times out of ten, no nineteen out of twenty, I see the on lead dog in time and get mine back on his lead. Occasionally I'm taken by surprise.

A bit of fault on both sides but mostly yours, I would say.

"My dogs ran to her". That's what kicked off the scrap. Her dogs were just standing their ground, yours ran up to her. Her dogs did not run up to either you or your dogs.

Given that you know that your terrier at least has form for this, you need to take more care from now on.

Sorry. Misread. One of hers growled at yours but if you know your terrier would react badly to that then he shouldnt be allowed to run unchecked

What if one of her dogs was on lead and being much bigger had reacted with more aggression. Then you wouldn't be asking who is to blame for a scrap, but asking if you were at fault for your dog being killed.

As a owner of a dog who had some dog aggression this sort of thing annoys me somewhat, owners having dogs who run up to others unchecked, especially if they don't take a warning growl or other signs to back off well. I had muzzled him sometimes, but then he's at a complete disadvantage when the other off lead dog fights back. Pulling two large dogs apart when they are attempting to seriously injure/kill each other isn't easy. So leaving him unmuzzled was often done for his own safety as he would get into scrapes but had never actually seriously bitten another dog.

I'd take it as a warning that your little guy needs some more training to not run and greet other dogs without your say so. Hopefully the council will ignore it, I had a dog attack my onlead dog and I. I reported it but our local council didn't do anything about it.

Terriers are terriers and can come across aggressive especially to bigger dogs they feel threatened by. She was taking a risk having dogs off lead. You were taking a risk having dogs off lead. Just one of those things. Not worth taking further. No one got harmed.

terriers are terriers
Theres no excuse for the behaviour certainly not saying its ok because its a terrier and feeling threatened because of it. I have big dogs who play with tiny dogs who dont feel threatened or attack them because they are well socialised! Nothing to do with their breed (only the owners!)

In all honesty any ddog that is being shown an unwelcome reception should know to back away or be told to and learn to leave unhappy dogs alone